Merry Christmas, Bones
by threesquares
Summary: Early Season 7. Booth and Brennan's first Christmas together as a couple. Merry Christmas, everyone!


Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am glad someone does.

A/N: I almost have Peloponnesian War Chapter 12 ready to post (I'm still hoping for a Christmas posting) and yet, on this, the night before Christmas 2012, I couldn't help but sneak away from my family to write this down. I am a very practical person but still, I can't help but be moved by the holiday season, at least at moments. This year I found myself thinking about the community of fanfic writers and readers that I have become a part of this past year. I am grateful for this community and for the friends that I have made. It isn't like me, but there is no sexy business here. Nevertheless, Merry Christmas! Michele

* * *

"Booth?"

Booth looked up from the floor of his living room where he was assembling an easel for Parker. Brennan stood in the doorway of his kitchen, drying her hands on a towel. They'd had dinner and she'd volunteered to do the dishes so he could start getting Parker's presents in order.

"Yeah, Bones?"

"I wanted to inform you of my plans for Christmas eve." Her gaze was direct and her hands were quiet on the towel, but he could tell that she had probably been trying to say this to him for a while. So he was careful to keep any disappointment or judgment out of his voice even though he would be sorry if she had planned something entirely without him this, their first Christmas together as a couple. They had already talked about Christmas-he had a rare Christmas with Parker this year, Becca agreeing that it was his turn, all things considered. "Okay. What are your," just the tiniest hesitation, "plans?"

"I'm going to church." Booth couldn't help his knee jerk response, nor keep the surprise from his voice.

"What?! Why?...What?!"

"I can understand your surprise, given that I have always vehemently opposed organized religion in all its forms and trappings, and the myth..." at his look, she changed course, "and of course, I have not been to church with you even. But that said-" and now she shifted uncomfortably, and got a look on her face that was...familiar. _When_had he seen that expression on her face before? Her eyes fell on the easel at his feet and she smiled a little, a true smile as she thought about his little boy. Aha! That was it! There was a child involved in this somewhere. Bones had that same expression she wore when she was taking part in something she didn't believe in but was willing to go along with for the sake of a child.

"How old is he?" Booth asked, getting a little of his own back for the way she had surprised him.

"W-w-what?" Brennan's surprise was immediate. "How do you know to ask that?"

Booth just raised his brows and waited.

A little moue of frustration at not being as good at something as he was passed over her face before she reluctantly answered. "Them."

He left his brows where they were, used to how helpful exaggerated facial expressions were to Bones.

She gave in, leaning against the transom, and told him the whole story. "Well, you know how I have been...assisting with the Young Scientists group at the Jeffersonian. I am still not certain this is a good use of my time but Cam assures me that it is very good publicity for the Jeffersonian and more importantly, from my perspective, the contact between me and this group of motivated children will help them become more rigorous and rational thinkers. I have," and now she looked openly sheepish, offering her own true feelings to him, and him alone, "found the work, the time with the children, surprisingly invigorating, for myself. I think that I enjoy it as much as they do many days." Booth felt a wave of love for this woman, whose heart was so big, who continued to be surprised for her own capacity to connect with others. He gave her a little smile and a nod, affirming.

"What I am not sure I told you was that due to a schedule change, I did not end up in charge of the older group-the 11-14 age group, but the younger-the 7-10 age group. It changed the kind of experiments and study I planned for them, but again, I was surprised at how fun it was to work with such young children. I probably shouldn't have been surprised, given my experiences with Parker, but I thought maybe he was special and especially bright." Booth forgave her for everything in that moment, including the fact that he had just eaten more salad than Mac & Cheese for dinner, just to hear her say his boy was special.

Bones continued. "Three little girls and one little boy, all 8 years old, arrive together every week. They may be related in some way. They all, apparently, attend the same church. While I commend their parents for arranging for some scientific education to go along with their religious training, you know how I feel about the latter. Nevertheless, I have kept my convictions in this matter to myself and religion has never come up." Bones sighed and sat down on the couch, curling her feet underneath her, pulling a throw over her knees.

"Last week, they all four lingered, after the other children had left. I could see the parent who drives them in the lobby waiting, so I suggested that they should get their belongings and go. Again, they lingered, all of them looking to one of the girls, Hannah, for direction. After further delay, during which I just waited because honestly, Booth, I had no idea what they were waiting for. In due course, however, she told me that they wanted to ask me something. I gave her permission and she asked if I would attend their Christmas Eve Children's Service, where all four of them were in the Junior Choir. I received the distinct impression that the four of them might BE the Junior Choir." Her remembered exasperation giving way to fondness for the children, Bones smiled a little at him ruefully. "I didn't know how to say no. So I said yes."

Booth heaved himself up onto his knees, careful not to "stand" on any screws-_that always hurts like a sonovabitch_-and moved to stand in front of Bones' legs. He reached out and she eagerly shifted so that her legs were on either side of him and she could curl her arms around him. She always responded to him sexually, but Booth found great pride in the fact that she now sought him for other physical comfort and accepted his touching and hugs as natural. He hoped it wasn't just because of the pregnancy. For now though, whatever its source and however long it lasted, he'd take it, loving the warmth of her rounded stomach pressing against him, the softness of her hair against his face.

"What time, babe?" He his voice low in her ear her as he rubbed her back and kept her pressed to him.

"The service is at 4pm. I need to be there at 3:30 to get a seat. Apparently, it gets quite crowded." He could hear the pride in the statement transferred to her by her young charge. He smiled.

"Okay, it sounds good." He paused, uncertain. "Can I go too?"

Bones pulled back, and looked at him beseechingly. "Would you? Since you are going yourself on Christmas, it means you'd be going twice..."

Booth cut her off. "Of course I want to go with you. I always like going to church at Christmas Time, and a Children's Service should be fun, probably there will be a little pageant; it might even be a bit shorter than the regular service."

"Thank you, Booth." Bones mumbled into his neck as she hugged him again. Booth smiled and pressed a kiss into her hair.

"Sure thing, Bones."

*************  
The service was really sweet, Booth thought. There wasn't a pageant, although he gathered from conversations around him that perhaps in past years there had been. What there was, however, was a moment when all the children gathered around the female pastor to hear selections of the Christmas story. He was so familiar with it all, he found himself tuning out and instead watching the children. One little boy couldn't sit still and climbed on and around the altar rail, his baby sister crawling after him until brought back by an exasperated mother. A number of children were given responsibility for assembling parts of the congregation creche and they all, after the story was over, were given a gold star to hold. At this point, the junior choir sang "The First Noel". Indeed there were only four children in the choir, although one tiny little girl-one of the four's sisters, he thought-joined them shyly, returning the choir director's "thumb's up". Each of the four singers sought Brennan's eyes over and over. Bones, for her part, listened gravely and attentively, finally at the end smiling and raising her hand in a simple wave that earned her grins from her young friends.

After that it was pretty standard stuff, although very nice. Both Booth and Brennan abstained from communion, for very different reasons, but toward the end, the pastor had added a really nice ending to the service. Candles, with little paper wax catchers around their base, were handed around in baskets and teenagers from the congregation brought around their own candles, already lit, to help everyone get theirs lit. And then, one by one, the lights were dimmed or turned off until the only real illumination was the candles. The choirs-adult, teen, and junior choirs all-sang "Silent Night" and the congregation joined in. Booth was surprised to hear Brennan's clear soprano join in; so far, she had just listened respectfully, but had not joined in any hymns or responses. He was even more surprised, when he looked at her again, to find light reflecting off wet cheeks. Sensing his attention, Bones turned her face up to his, the vulnerability and sadness in her eyes hitting him like a blow.

Transferring his candle to his left hand, Booth reached out and tenderly brushed away her tears with his thumb. As the final notes rang out in the still church-still but not quiet, the whiny or happy cries of babies and toddlers mixing with the coughs and sneezes of the adult population-Booth slipped an arm around his partner and she leaned into him, leaned on him. He wasn't sure why she cried; he was just glad he was there.

*************  
"Well, Bones, are you glad we came?" Booth said to her as they left the church. As they put on their coats to leave, they were accosted by the Junior Choir, their parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers, and assorted others, all of whom were so pleased and thankful that Dr. Brennan and "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Booth." had come to the service. Brennan had become accustomed to celebrity as a result of her status as a scientist and best-selling author. This celebrity was of a more personal nature, however, and Booth could tell she had never been thanked for "helping Clayton understand how water, ice, and steam were all the same substance," and for "being the kind of teacher that sees the value in personal connection." She thanked them all calmly but sincerely, and shook everyone's hand, including each of the children's. Bidding them all a Merry Christmas, she and Booth left the church. Pausing outside the church doors to slip on gloves and scarf, Bones answered honestly. "I'm not sure, Booth."

Booth moved them to the side of the great doors, leaving room for others to exit, and turned her toward him, pulling her lapels up and tucking her scarf in more securely, his own coat open to the winter chill. "What do you mean, Bones? I thought it was really nice. It was great, how happy the kids were that you were there." He paused, trying to make out her expression in the dim but festive illumination of the street lanterns and Christmas lights. "What made you cry?"

Bones made a small sound of unhappiness. "I...I...just..." she trailed off, unsatisfied, and fussed at his coat for a minute, buttoning the buttons and smoothing nonexistent wrinkles, her hands in the mittens he had bought her _liking the idea of this cool, beautiful, intelligent woman in brightly colored, knitted, mittens more suitable for sledding than for carrying a laptop_. She looked up at him. "I didn't like it, at first. I think I almost hated it; I was certainly very uncomfortable. I really do not agree with organized religion, Booth." she paused but then said, compelled, it seemed, to apologize. "I'm sorry if that appears to be an indictment of you as well as your faith, Booth."

Booth smiled and kissed her, her cold nose pressing against his face as she responded, then speaking against her lips as he drew away. "Bones, my faith has survived worse than your disbelief. Don't worry about it."

Relieved by the absolution, she continued. "It all just seemed so simplistic and perhaps even a little patronizing. But then, the singing was nice, and the children were so pleased to be in their choir, that it was...better. Bearable." She directed her gaze somewhere below his chin. "When we lit the candles and the lights dimmed...I don't know how to explain it. I think that I would have felt so if we had been in the park or in some other venue. I'm not sure it had anything to do with the church, or religion; it was just that when the lights went out, I realized that I did feel a part of something. Something that included me, but also included other people. As an anthropologist I know well how people have gathered around fire in many different times and places and for many different reasons. Community is one of the most powerful forces in any culture, and fire is one of the most common symbols of it."

Bones continued to look at his throat as she spoke. "So the candles were very beautiful and we all had one, even little children. And then, they started singing 'Silent Night'," her voice cracked a little here and the words came tumbling out of her mouth one after another, "My mother loved 'Silent Night'." Bones swallowed and clutched the lapels of his coat. "And then they sang 'heavenly host' and I know _you _think she is in Heaven and this is our first Christmas together and I was reminded that I...I...I belong with you." She looked up at him now, tears again in her eyes. "I'm glad I belong with you, Booth, and whatever else I felt being here tonight, I am glad for that moment of clarity, painful and beautiful though it was." A few of the tears that had gathered actually fell now as she blinked vigorously, wiping at her cheeks with her mittens.

Moved but unsure what to say, Booth took a breath, "Bones..."

"You know what I want to do now, Booth?" Her eyes were still intent on his but a glint of playfulness, familiar to him by now, had added to their shine.

"What, Bones?" He answered happily, relieved at the lift in her mood.

"Ice cream." She grinned. "With hot fudge. And whipped cream." She slipped her arm into his and they moved together down the stone steps of the church.

"What about dinner?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Screw dinner."

"Bones!" he shouted, shocked. She grinned back at him: _Gotcha_.

"You are very easy to shock, Booth." Prim and proud.

"Bones, you are always a surprise to me." He leaned over and caught her mouth, kissing her long enough that they had to come to a halt on the corner. She tasted like teasing and contrariness and Bones. "The best kind of surprise. Merry Christmas, Bones."

She kissed him one last time. "Merry Christmas, Booth. Feed me ice cream now, please." And dragged him across the street to the blinking neon ice cream cone of a _miraculously _open ice cream shop.


End file.
